Electrical outlets vary by country. Adapter plugs enable U.S. devices to be plugged into foreign outlets.

An adapter does not change electrical voltage.

Transformer:

Transformers adapt the voltage from electrical outlets to the voltage required by electrical devices.

Most new devices can adapt to different voltage rates, but some devices work only on the U.S. standard of 120 volts. Check your device to see what voltage range it handles.

Example: an AC power adapter is a transformer and may be rated for use at 100-240 volts. It will work on U.S. outlets that supply 120 volts. It will also work on foreign outlets that supply between 100 and 240 volts. An adapter plug will still be needed to allow the three-pronged end to fit the foreign outlet.

Voltage converter:

If the voltage supplied by a foreign outlet is greater than a device can accept, a voltage converter is needed. If you need to purchase a voltage converter for your laptop, make sure that you purchase the type designed to accommodate three-prong (grounded) plugs. For more information, see the Voltage Converter and Independent Traveler websites.

Know if you will have to pay any taxes or customs duties when you bring a device into your destination country.

If you’ll be visiting a foreign country and expect to be using a public computer, such as you’d find in a library or Internet cafe, you may experience difficulty entering passwords that contain special characters (e.g., !@#$%^&*()_+-=). Keyboards are manufactured and set up to accommodate the characters required to write the language or express the symbols of the country in which they’re used (e.g., ~‘£Í). Keyboards in use outside of the U.S. may not be programmed to use common symbols like the dollar sign ($) or other symbols that are found on the number keys.

To avoid a situation where you can't locate the symbols needed to enter a password on a foreign keyboard, use your own computer when travelling abroad. If using a foreign computer or keyboard is unavoidable, you may want to change passwords that use special characters (or letters not found in the language of your destination country) before departing for your foreign location. To create a secure password that doesn't use special characters, use a combination of lower case and upper case letters with numbers. Password requirements for Case Western Reserve and more information on creating a secure password can be found here.

Several options exist for communicating information across distances and around the globe. ITS has information to help you determine the best methods for voice, video conferencing, audio and video solutions.

Skype is a software application that allows users to make voice calls over the Internet.